Life and Death
by Skippy1
Summary: Just another season 7 continuation. Original title, I know. Spoiler free. COMPLETE, finally!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own 7th Heaven or the characters, and I'm not making money off of this.  
  
A/N: There is another author's note at the end, but in order to understand this chapter, understand that in this story, the people in the car going to the pool hall were Annie, Matt, Simon, Ruthie, Kevin, Sam, and David.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Lucy stared at the pregnancy test, and slowly two blue lines showed up. Lucy blinked.  
  
"What in the world do two blue lines mean?" she muttered to herself. Somehow Lucy expected to see a message showing up, either saying "pregnant" or "not pregnant", not two ambiguous blue lines. She quickly turned around and picked up the box from the trashcan. "If only one blue line appears, you are not pregnant," she read aloud from the box. "If two blue lines appear, you are pregnant." Lucy sat down on the toilet and took a deep breath. She stared at the pregnancy test, hoping somehow one of the lines would disappear. It didn't. She glanced at the box again, and read:  
  
This test is not 100% accurate. If you suspect you are pregnant, we suggest you go to a doctor.  
  
Lucy sighed in slight relief. She might not be pregnant after all. But in the meantime, she'd have to tell Kevin.  
  
"Lucy!" called her father from downstairs.  
  
"Coming, Dad!" she yelled back. Then she frowned. Where would she put the pregnancy test? Quickly she stuffed it in the bottom of the trashcan, and then walked briskly downstairs.  
  
Lucy slowed down once she saw her father's pale, devastated face. All the color drained from her face. Lou and Sergeant Michaels were sitting on the couch.  
  
"What's going on?" Lucy croaked out. Eric buried his face in his hands.  
  
"Lucy, there's been a car accident," began Sergeant Michaels.  
  
"And?"  
  
"Most everyone's okay. Just a few cuts and bruises, but they're okay. But.. Kevin's got hit in the head pretty hard.. he's got a head injury."  
  
Lucy's knees buckled and she had to grab the railing for support.  
  
"Is he okay?" There was a devastating silent pause that seemed like eternity to Lucy.  
  
"We don't know," whispered Sergeant Michaels. If there was any color left from Lucy's face, it was gone now. Eric ran over and embraced her tightly.  
  
"We'll drive you to the hospital," said Lou.  
  
Lucy was in a daze as she walked to the car, and during the drive to the hospital. If and when she looked back on that night, she wouldn't have remembered much.  
  
Everyone came running up to them the second they walked into the waiting room, and they all hugged.  
  
"Is everyone all right?" asked Eric.  
  
"We're fine," answered Annie, "we're fine."  
  
"Where's Kevin?" asked Lucy.  
  
"The doctors won't let us in to see him," said Annie. "But I'm sure he'll be fine." Everyone quieted down and waited for some news about Kevin. Lucy prayed; Eric and Annie whispered amongst themselves; Matt was talking to Sarah on the phone; Simon had fallen asleep; Ruthie was wondering where Mary was, if Kevin was alive, what would happen if Kevin was dead, amongst other things. The twins could feel the tension in the air, and sat quietly by themselves.  
  
"Excuse me, are you Kevin Kinkirk's wife?" asked a doctor to Lucy. She looked up quickly, as if she had been suddenly awakened.  
  
"How is he?" she whispered.  
  
"He's in a coma," answered the doctor. Lucy gulped.  
  
"Will he live?"  
  
"We think so, but there's no telling how long he'll be in there. You can see him if you'd like."  
  
"Yes, please."  
  
"Follow me."  
  
**************  
  
Simon awakened with a jolt, and glanced at his watch. It read 11:02 P.M. He mentally scolded himself for falling asleep at such a time.  
  
"Kevin's in a coma," said Matt, who had returned from the pay phone. Simon nodded.  
  
A/N: First of all, sorry to make this chapter so short, but I wanted to see what people thought of it. Second, I have no idea how true the pregnancy test I described is, because frankly, I've never needed to use one. But hopefully you got the point. Third, I am no expert on comas or head injuries or anything like that, so hopefully what I write will be semi- realistic. Fourth (Wow, this is a long author's note), I need suggestions for a title, and if you could give me some in your reviews, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks. 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own 7th Heaven, I'm not making money.  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Lucy was in a whirlwind of emotions when she saw Kevin lying in the hospital bed. Worry, anxiety, she even felt a little bit of relief. Kevin looked somewhat peaceful, despite the large bandage on his head. He didn't seem to be in any pain. Lucy squeezed his hand tightly, and sighed. She was no longer in tears, but still very shocked.  
  
"You can't die, Kevin," she whispered to him. "You just can't."  
  
"He should be fine," reassured a doctor behind her.  
  
"When will he wake up?" asked Lucy. The doctor paused.  
  
"I'm not sure. No one ever is. Comas are quite unpredictable; it could be anywhere from a day to years." Lucy's jaw dropped.  
  
"Years?" The doctor nodded. Lucy bit her lip and looked down. If she was pregnant, and Kevin..  
  
No, she wouldn't think about that. Not now.  
  
"Lucy!" exclaimed a voice behind her. Lucy looked up and saw that the doctor had gone, and Mary had just walked in. Lucy wasn't certain how much time had passed.  
  
"Mary," sighed Lucy as they hugged.  
  
"How are you?" asked Mary.  
  
"I'm.. fine, I guess," answered Lucy, sitting back down. "What time is it?"  
  
"Almost midnight," replied Mary. "Everyone's going home in a few minutes, but I can take you home later if you want." Lucy nodded.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"Lucy," began Mary after a pause, "did you take the pregnancy test?" Lucy nodded slowly.  
  
"Positive," she whispered.  
  
"Oh Lucy," said Mary, putting her arm around her. "I'm sure everything will be fine."  
  
"And what if it's not? The doctor said it could be years!" Tears began to well up in Lucy's eyes again. "He could finally wake up when were both old and gray, and by then, I could have Alzheimer's or something! And our kid could be a druggie! Wouldn't that be a perfect fairy-tale ending?"  
  
"That's ridiculous. Why would your kid be a druggie?" asked Mary.  
  
"I don't know," responded Lucy, wiping away a tear. "I was trying to make a point."  
  
"Don't worry. He'll be fine."  
  
"I hope so," sighed Lucy.  
  
"Why don't," began Mary, as an idea came to her, "you tell him?"  
  
"That I'm pregnant?" Mary nodded, and Lucy almost smiled. "Sure, maybe the shock of it all will wake him up." Mary shrugged.  
  
"You never know," she said. Lucy was willing to try anything at that point, and she realized that telling Kevin while she was unconscious would be a lot easier than telling him when he is awake. So Lucy took his hand in hers, and leaned forward.  
  
"Kevin, according to a pregnancy test, you're going to be a father. I'm pregnant."  
  
His arm twitched, and both Mary and Lucy gasped. They stood still a moment, waiting for something else, but nothing happened.  
  
"Did you see that?" asked Lucy, excitement in her voice.  
  
"Yeah," said Mary.  
  
And for the first time that night, Lucy was full of hope, and she smiled.  
  
A/N: Sorry for the short chapter..again, but I got impatient. And I'd like to thank all of my reviewers, and everyone who gave me suggestions for titles. Thanks! 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer:  I don't own 7th Heaven or its characters.

A/N:  I am really sorry I haven't updated in like, forever, but I've been super busy these past weeks with the community garage sale, summer school, shopping for my dad, and touring a few colleges in the state.  From now on I'm going to try and update about twice a week.  And also, this chapter is probably the shortest one there is, but I already have the next one pretty much written down in my head, so it should be up very soon.

Chapter 3

            "So where's your…. husband?" asked Lucy after a long silence in the car on the way home.

            "He's in the hotel room," sighed Mary.

            "When are you going to tell Dad?"

            "Whenever the opportunity arises," said Mary.  "When are you going to tell everyone you're pregnant?"

            "I don't even know that!" complained Lucy.  "I need to see a doctor to be sure."  They were both silent as Mary pulled the car into the driveway.  A light was on in the kitchen.

            "They're awake," said Mary as they got out of the car and walked in the door.  Eric was sitting on the counter drinking a glass of orange juice.

            "How is he?" asked Eric immediately after they walked in.

            "Kevin's going to be fine," said Lucy.  Mary nodded in agreement.

            "How are you?" asked Eric.

            "Tired."

            "We called Ben, his mom and him are coming to Glenoak tomorrow," said Eric.  Both Lucy and Mary nodded.  "And Chandler and Roxanne are engaged."

            "Surprise, surprise," said Lucy sarcastically.  "I'm going to bed.  Goodnight."

            "Goodnight," said Eric and Mary in unison as she left the kitchen.

            "Mary," said Eric quietly once Lucy was out of the kitchen, "are you sure Kevin's okay?  It's just been my experience that doctors seldom tell you everything."  Mary nodded.

            "I think he'll be fine."  There was a silence in which Mary was seriously debating whether or not to tell Eric she had eloped.  She sighed.  It was now or never.  

            "Dad, I have to tell you something."

            "Sure.  What is it?"  Eric took a sip of his orange juice, and Mary braced herself.

            "I've eloped."  Eric spat out the orange juice.

            "You…. to _who_?"

            "His name's Tyler Johnson."

            "When did this happen?

            "Three days ago, and I need you to help me get it annulled."  Eric clutched his chest and leaned back.

            "Oh, I see the light," he moaned, sounding delusional.

            "Dad, please."

            "Why…. why did you _do_ this?" 

            "We were drunk."

            "What did you _drink _to compel you to do this?"

            "Um…."  

            "I don't want to know.  I'm going to bed," declared Eric as he slid off the counter and walked off.

            "Goodnight," said Mary, unsure of what to say.  Eric mumbled in response.  


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own 7th Heaven or its characters, and I'm not making money off of this.  
  
Chapter 4  
  
The next morning, Annie was reading the newspaper and drinking coffee in the kitchen when Lucy walked in.  
  
"Lucy, good morning," greeted Annie.  
  
"Morning." Annie continued to read the newspaper, and Lucy fixed herself a cup of coffee.  
  
"Good morning, Mary," said Annie when Mary walked in a moment later.  
  
"Morning. You're not supposed to drink that, Luce," whispered Mary as she grabbed the mug away from Lucy as she walked by. Lucy frowned.  
  
"No.." she moaned quietly.  
  
"Why can't Lucy drink coffee?" asked Annie, not looking up from the newspaper.  
  
"Because it stains her teeth," said Mary quickly.  
  
"Yeah," said Lucy. A second later Eric walked in with a goofy smile on his face.  
  
"Oh, what a beautiful morning," he sang as he opened a cabinet and pulled out a bowl, "oh, what a beautiful day. I've got a wonderful feeling, everything's going my way." Mary frowned.  
  
"Did you tell him?" asked Lucy quietly. Mary nodded.  
  
"I thought it went well, for what I imagined might happen."  
  
"I'm leaving," announced Lucy.  
  
"So am I," said Mary.  
  
"Mary, stay," ordered Annie. "I think we need to have a talk." Mary sighed in defeat.  
  
"Have fun," whispered Lucy as she walked out.  
  
"Thanks," answered Mary sarcastically.  
  
*****  
  
After her classes ended at two, Lucy went straight to the hospital.  
  
"Hi, can I make an appointment with a doctor?" she asked the receptionist.  
  
"For what?"  
  
"To.. see if I'm pregnant." The receptionist nodded and smiled as she pressed a few keys on a keyboard.  
  
"There's an opening at twelve tomorrow. Is that all right?"  
  
"Yeah." All of Lucy's classes were later in the afternoon tomorrow.  
  
"Okay. Your name?"  
  
"Lucy Kinkirk." The receptionist typed in something else on the keyboard, most likely Lucy's name.  
  
"All right, Ms. Kinkirk, you're booked for twelve tomorrow. See you later."  
  
"Okay, thanks," said Lucy as she walked off towards Kevin's room. When she got there, she just stood in the doorway for a while, looking inside. Ben was inside, and playing cards on a small table across the bed. He dealt himself and Kevin each five cards, only looking at his own.  
  
"You want to bet fifty dollars on this one, Kev? Well, okay, I'll match you." Ben took a few chips from two piles he had set out and set them in the middle of the table. "I'll take two cards, and you'll have.. None? Wow, must have some hand there, Kevin. You want to bet fifty more dollars? Well okay, I'll match you, and that's too bad because I have a flush, and you have.." Ben turned Kevin's cards over. "A full house? How the hell- I mean, too bad, because you have nothing, and I just won all your money." Ben laughed to himself as he took all of Kevin's chips.  
  
"Hey, that's my money you're stealing, too, you know," said Lucy. Ben looked up.  
  
"Oh, hi, Luce," greeted Ben. "The doctor said it'd be good to interact with him in some way, so here I am.."  
  
"Cheating him in poker?"  
  
"Yeah," he laughed.  
  
"Where's your mom?" asked Lucy.  
  
"Getting something to eat, I think."  
  
"Where are you staying?  
  
"We got a hotel room. There are enough people staying at the Camden Bed and Breakfast without us."  
  
A/N: Sorry for the abrupt ending, but I wasn't sure how to end it. I'm not totally sure if you're not supposed to drink coffee if you're pregnant, but it was implied in the second book of The Princess Diaries, so if that's not true, we'll just have to pretend. Also, the song that Eric was singing was from the musical Oklahoma, by Rodgers and Hammerstein. And a full house does beat a flush in poker, right? Oh well, again, if it doesn't, we'll just have to pretend. 


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I still don't own 7th Heaven or the characters, and I'm still not making money off of this.  
  
Chapter 5  
  
It had been a week since the pregnancy test at the hospital, and the results could come any day now. Since her period still had not come, Lucy doubted she wasn't pregnant. However, Lucy still wanted to wait to tell everyone until she knew absolutely for sure. Kevin was still in a coma, and Lucy visited him every day. Sometimes she and Ben would play cards with him, and surprisingly, Kevin occasionally won, even though he wouldn't actually play. Everyone had found out that Mary had eloped, and Eric was trying to get the annulment papers.  
  
The phone rang in the afternoon. Lucy was getting a snack in the kitchen, and Simon was watching television in the living room. The rest of the family were scattered around the house.  
  
"I'll get it," yelled Simon as he turned down the volume and reached for the phone. "Hello?"  
  
"Hello, this is Glenoak Hospital. Is Lucy Kinkirk there?" Simon froze. Something must have happened to Kevin. He was either dead or had woken up. Simon hoped for the latter.  
  
"Yes, hold on." He covered up the phone and called, "Lucy! Phone!"  
  
"Okay," said Lucy as she walked into the living room and took the phone. "Hello?"  
  
"Hello, Lucy Kinkirk?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"This is Glenoak Hospital. Congratulations, you're pregnant." Lucy frowned.  
  
"Okay, thanks."  
  
"You're about three weeks along, and your due date is June fifth."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"We'd like you to come in every few weeks for checkups, too."  
  
"Okay.. is that all?"  
  
"Yes, goodbye, and congratulations again."  
  
"Bye." Lucy hung up the phone.  
  
"What happened?" asked Simon immediately afterwards. Lucy looked confused.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"That was the hospital, they told me when I picked it up."  
  
"Oh, nothing. I just.. left my purse there," lied Lucy. Now Simon looked confused.  
  
"Your purse is right there," he said, pointing to her purse on a table behind her. Flabbergasted, Lucy looked behind her, and bit her lip.  
  
"So it is," she muttered.  
  
"So did you win a vacation to Hawaii in a hospital contest? What happened?"  
  
"Oh, you're going to know eventually. I'm pregnant." It was at that exact moment when Ruthie walked in.  
  
"I didn't even mean to hear that!" she exclaimed.  
  
"Oh, why don't I just tell the world?" said Lucy. "Hey everyone," she yelled. "I'm pregnant!" Eric came running out of the study almost immediately.  
  
"Did I just hear what I think I heard?" he asked.  
  
"And if Kevin wakes up after eight months, he is going to be very confused," said Lucy.  
  
"Lucy, it's okay," said Simon, putting his arm around her. "Calm down." Matt, Annie, Mary, Sam, and David walked into the living room.  
  
"What's going on?" asked Annie. "We heard someone yell."  
  
"Sam," said Ruthie, "is going to be Uncle Sam." She laughed. Sam furrowed his brow, confused, and Matt and Annie looked at Mary.  
  
"It's not me!" exclaimed Mary, looking very insulted. Matt looked at Ruthie.  
  
"I never liked that Peter fellow," he growled. Ruthie stared at him. "Nah, just kidding." Matt laughed, and Ruthie rolled her eyes. "Congrats Luce. Come here and give your big brother a hug," he said as he held out his arms. Lucy made a face and grumbled something as she walked out.  
  
"Okay, then," said Matt, lowering his hands. "Moody already, wow." 


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own 7th Heaven or the characters, and I'm not making money off of this. I guess I do own Tyler, but if you want him, email me and you can take him. I'd be flattered.  
  
Chapter 6  
  
Large weddings did not appeal to Tyler Johnson. He didn't want to pick one of his many friends to be his "best man", didn't want to wear an uncomfortable tuxedo that would just hang in the closet afterwards, didn't want to choose a cake that he would just taste a few bites of, and the flowers would all die anyway. Weddings seemed like a waste of time and money, and he had always wanted to elope.  
  
Now, as he drove towards the Glenoak Community Church, he really wished he hadn't eloped to his girlfriend of only a few weeks. He wondered why whoever it was who married them didn't notice they weren't drunk, and refused to marry them. It had to have been obvious. But there was no good in wondering. It had happened, and now he was going to reverse it. Mary had called him a half hour before, telling him that her father had gotten the annulment papers, and he was supposed to meet them at the church so they could sign the papers. Tyler ran his hand through his long dirty blonde hair, the hair that, according to his mother, made him look like a "surf-bum", even though he never surfed. He wasn't sure why he was so nervous. Perhaps it was because her father would be there. The day after they eloped, Mary kept saying, "My dad is going to kill me." Hearing that so many times, Tyler felt that he must be one of those fathers where if you were five minutes late in returning her from a date, he would feel a need to call the police. That type of father always made him nervous. But then again, he had gotten the annulment papers. His father wouldn't have helped them; he would have just let them suffer the consequences.  
  
Tyler took a deep breath as he drove into the parking lot. It was a Friday afternoon. They had been married for almost two weeks. Two awkward weeks. He had flown down to Glenoak a few days after Mary, and spent the majority of the two weeks bored half to death. The only person he knew there was Mary, and she spent most of the time with her family, especially her sister whose husband was in the hospital for some reason. He got out of the car and walked through the main door, into the room where the sermons were held. No one was in sight. He stood there a moment, not knowing exactly what to do or where to go.  
  
"Tyler!" called Mary's voice from the front of the room. He looked up and walked towards her.  
  
"Hi," he greeted, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Am I late?" Mary shrugged.  
  
"What time were you supposed to come?"  
  
"I don't know. But I sort of got lost a few times."  
  
"Well, my dad's office is over here and we can get started," said Mary as she began walking down a hallway. Tyler followed.  
  
"What exactly do we have to do?" he asked.  
  
"Sign some papers in about five different places, that's all," answered Mary.  
  
"Just out of curiosity, why are we doing this in the church?"  
  
"Because we didn't want to do this in the house, I guess. Ironic though, that marriages begin here, and ours is ending here." Tyler nodded. That remark made him feel glum. He wanted to punch himself for being so stupid.  
  
"I'm sorry about all this," he apologized. "Did I ever say that?"  
  
"So am I."  
  
"You must be Tyler," said Eric as they walked into the office. Him and Tyler shook hands.  
  
"Hi, nice to meet you, Reverend Camden."  
  
"Marriage is a commitment," began Eric. "I don't want either of you to go out and get married like that again." Mary had heard this plenty of times before, but knew better than to roll her eyes.  
  
"I won't, sir," said Tyler. "Believe me."  
  
"Neither will I," said Mary. Eric continued to lecture them as they signed the papers. Although he didn't show it, Mary could tell that Eric was somewhat pleased by Tyler's politeness.  
  
"I'm going to stay here for a while to work on my sermon," said Eric when the deed was done. "Can you give Mary a ride home, Tyler?"  
  
"Sure, that's fine."  
  
******  
  
"You were so polite in there," remarked Mary in the car. Tyler laughed.  
  
"The way you portrayed your dad, I kept on imagining him coming to my house in the middle of the night with a machete or something. But he seems nice, now that I've met him."  
  
"Sorry if I gave that impression. If you have to worry about anyone, it's Matt."  
"Your brother?"  
  
"Yeah. And even he wouldn't kill you or anything. Since he's the oldest, he thinks he has to be so protective.. So are you going back to Buffalo now?"  
  
"There's a red-eye tonight I'll probably take. If I miss any more work I'll get fired, if I'm not already."  
  
"Turn left here," said Mary as they approached an intersection.  
  
"What we did was stupid, right?" said Tyler  
  
"Right. But turn left."  
  
"And if we hadn't done it, things would just stay the same, right?"  
  
"I guess, yeah."  
  
"So are we just going to pretend it never happened, and continue our lives as if it didn't?"  
  
"Are you asking me if we're breaking up?"  
  
"Yes.. I don't want to break up, do you?"  
  
"No, I feel the same way," laughed Mary. "What we did was stupid, and now we should just put it behind us and continue our lives like it didn't happen." Tyler breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
"I'm glad," he said. "So when are you coming back to Buffalo?"  
  
"I took three weeks of vacation, so next week. It's that one," said Mary, pointing to her house.  
  
"I'll call you," said Tyler as he pulled into the driveway.  
  
"Bye," said Mary. They kissed, and Mary got out of the car and went into the house. Tyler smiled as he backed out of the driveway. He wasn't in love. But he sure could be.  
  
A/N: Erm, I didn't really like this chapter. If it didn't make any sense, I'll try to explain it in the next chapter. I don't know very much about annulments, so we'll just have to pretend if what I said was all wrong. 


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I've never been annoyed by writing disclaimers before now. Same thing as what I've said before.  
  
Chapter 7  
  
"Simon!" called Lucy from somewhere upstairs.  
  
"No," moaned Simon under his breath from downstairs. "I'm not here," he said to Ruthie, who was on the couch next to him. Almost seven months later, nothing much had changed except the size of Lucy's belly, and, if it was possible, she was becoming more insane by the day.  
  
"You owe me," answered Ruthie, keeping her eyes fixed on the TV screen. Simon got up and left. A moment later Lucy walked in.  
  
"Is Simon here?" she asked Ruthie.  
  
"No." Lucy made a face and sat down next to Ruthie.  
  
"Oh, look at the time," said Lucy after a moment. "It's two o'clock." Ruthie rolled her eyes and switched to channel ten. Lucy giggled gleefully. Just then Simon walked quietly by, trying to sneak into the kitchen.  
  
"Simon, there you are," acknowledged Lucy. Simon frowned and turned to her.  
  
"Oh, hi, Luce," he said.  
  
"Can you get me-"  
  
"A Hershey bar with almonds?" finished Simon.  
  
"No, no almonds this time."  
  
"Fine," sighed Simon.  
  
"I'll come," said Ruthie.  
  
"She's watching General Hospital again, I presume," said Simon once they were in the car. Ruthie nodded.  
  
"Apparently Nikolas confessed his love to Emily."  
  
"Oooh," said Simon sarcastically. "I wonder what Zander thinks of that."  
  
"Ugh, gag me."  
  
**************  
  
Meanwhile, back in Buffalo, Mary and Tyler were taking a lovely walk together in the park.  
  
"My family's so different than yours," Tyler was saying. Mary nodded.  
  
"You're an only child."  
  
"You're one of seven."  
  
"I can't imagine how.. quiet it must have been."  
  
"And what's funny is, my parents could focus their whole attention shoving their noses into life, but they didn't."  
  
"And mine did, along with six other lives."  
  
"My parents wouldn't have bailed me out of jail if I was."  
  
"My parents did bail me out of jail." Tyler laughed, and Mary was glad he took it so lightly.  
  
"Dare I ask what you did to end up in jail?"  
  
"Most of the girl's basketball team-myself included- 'decorated' the school gym."  
  
"I see. You wanted to make the gym look pretty for all your games, so you pulled a Trading Spaces." Mary snorted.  
  
"Ha, we might have used a thousand dollars worth of toilet paper." Tyler started to laugh again, and Mary punched him playfully on the shoulder. "That is so not funny." Tyler sucked in his breath and said,  
  
"Sorry," in a surprisingly high-pitched voice as he was trying to keep in his laughter. Suddenly Mary's cell phone rang.  
  
"Do you mind?" she asked. Tyler shook his head, as he was unable to open his mouth without laughing. "Hello? Hi, Simon.." A look of shock came over Mary's face. "Oh my gosh. Are you serious?.. Okay, I'll be there.. See you soon." Mary hung up the phone.  
  
"What is it?" asked Tyler, no longer laughing, but now concerned.  
  
"It's my brother-in-law." 


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

            Lucy Kinkirk had never felt so scared in her life.  She looked down at her left hand that her mother had just grasped and realized she had been shaking. 

            "It'll be okay, Luce," reassured her mother.  "He's a fighter, he'll pull through."  Lucy didn't respond; she wasn't feeling so optimistic.  She needed to get up and take a walk, to calm herself down.  But she couldn't; the doctor would come any moment now and tell her that Kevin was okay.

            But what if he wasn't okay?

            Everything had happened so quickly.  One minute she was eating the chocolate Simon had just brought back and freaking out in front of the television because Zander had just proposed to Emily, and now she was in the hospital waiting to hear news about Kevin.  She didn't even remember who picked up the phone, or who drove to the hospital.  All she knew was that something happened to Kevin, and he might be dead.

            Just thinking that filled her heart with dread.  He had only been her husband for less than a year, could it be possible that she might not ever see him again, not ever talk to him again, hug him, kiss him?  Could it be possible that her unborn child would never know his or her father?  She had never wanted anything so much in her life other than to have him back, so they could be a family.  A mother, a father, and a child.  A family.  

_Please, God,_ she prayed.  _Please let Kevin be okay.  I can't be a single mother._

            As if on cue, the doctor walked in, and Lucy's heart practically stopped.  

            "Are you Kevin Kinkirk's family?" he asked, gesturing toward Lucy, Annie, Eric, Simon, and Ruthie.  The twins were with a babysitter.  Everyone nodded, and Lucy held her breath.  "He's alive, now," said the doctor.  Lucy breathed a sigh of relief.

            "Thank you," she whispered, looking upwards.

            "We're not totally sure what happened," continued the doctor.  "Basically, his brain activity went down to zero, and his heart stopped.  We tried to resuscitate him, but things didn't look good.  That's when we called you, sorry if things sounded worse than they were.  Anyway, we kept trying the resuscitation, and it worked.  Then, bam!  His brain activity suddenly went back up, and now he's back to where he was.  We're giving him some new drugs through the IV now, though."

            "What do you mean by 'brain activity'?" asked Eric.

            "He's dreaming," explained the doctor.  "Whether or not he will remember his dreams when and if he does wake up, we don't know."

            "Can I see him?" asked Lucy.  The doctor nodded.

            "You know the way."


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I forgot to say in the last chapter.. Someday I may do research on the subjects of my writing, but alas, today is not that day. Thus, anything I said medically in that last chapter was probably not completely, if at all, true. And for those of you who care, there will be one or two more chapters after this one, and then an epilogue. *reads over author's notes* Why am I using words like alas and thus? Odd.  
  
Chapter 9  
  
"Don't you ever do that to me again, Kevin Kinkirk!" Lucy Kinkirk sat down in the chair next to her husband's bed with a sigh. It was baffling how, after being worried beyond comparison for Kevin for an hour or so, she could be so tired in the late afternoon. Of course, she hadn't slept well the night before, either.  
  
"I love you Kevin," said Lucy as she took his hand in hers. "I love you so much, and I don't know what I would do without you. But it's more than that. I need you. I can't get through this without you."  
  
She suddenly felt the baby kick, and placed Kevin's hand on her belly.  
  
"Do you feel that, Kevin? That's your child. Our child. You're going to miss his or her birth if you don't wake up soon. I really don't want you to miss that, or anything else. And I don't know how I could get through it without you. I need you, Kevin, I need you by my side."  
  
"If you die.." The lump in Lucy's throat was so large now she could barely croak the words out, and warm tears were running down her face, smearing her mascara. But she knew she had to voice these feelings inside of her, instead of having them destroy her from the inside. "If you die, I don't know what I would do. It would tear me apart. I couldn't raise a child while mourning over you. I don't want to leave him or her with my parents. I don't want this child to never know his or her father; I want this child to know you. I want to raise this child with you; I want to start a family with you. Not by myself. Please, Kevin, do that for me. Please, God, do this for me. Please let him wake up, please let him be okay."  
  
Lucy looked at the clock on the wall. It was only four thirty, why was she so tired? But as Lucy squeezed Kevin's hand and drifted off into sleep, she could have sworn she felt Kevin's hand squeezing back in hers.  
  
******  
  
Mary was waiting anxiously in the airport. The next flight to Glenoak was going to board in ten minutes, but it had already been an hour since Simon called. She picked up her cell phone to call home, hopefully someone would be home to tell her what was going on, but the instant she took it out of her purse it rang. Tyler, who was keeping her company, smiled in amusement.  
  
"Hello?" said Mary, answering the phone.  
  
"Hi Mary, it's Simon."  
  
"What's going on?"  
  
"Kevin's fine now, or back where he was."  
  
"Oh, good."  
  
"Where are you?"  
  
"Buffalo Airport. The next flight boards in ten minutes."  
  
"Oh, so are you still coming here?"  
  
"Actually, I don't think so, since Kevin is still among the living and Lucy is still among the sane."  
  
"Ha! Just what exactly is your definition of sane?"  
  
"You know what I mean. Anyway, I'm sticking to the original plan, coming in three weeks, when hopefully the baby will come. And if she starts having contractions before then, you call me up. I still have three free plane tickets I need to use up anyway."  
  
"Okay. I have to call Matt now, bye."  
  
"His cell phone won't be on if he got on the flight I think he got on, but try anyway. Bye." She hung up the phone.  
  
"So what happened?" asked Tyler.  
  
"Apparently, they thought he was going to die," said Mary, "but he didn't die."  
  
"That's good. So you're staying here now?"  
  
"Yeah. I wasn't even supposed to leave, because I'm on call, but I doubt they're going to call me for another week anyway."  
  
"Okay, then, shall we go?" Mary nodded, and they started to walk off, but then her cell phone rang again.  
  
"Hello?" she said as she picked it up.  
  
"Me again," said Simon's voice.  
  
"What now?" groaned Mary. This probably wasn't good.  
  
"Um, you remember you told me to call you if Lucy started having contractions? Well, now she is." Mary's jaw dropped and she looked back at the gate where people were boarding to go to Glenoak.  
  
"I'll be there in five hours." 


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Sorry it took me so long to get this next chapter up, but I discovered a MAJOR plot hole. I had to leave out a what-was-going-to-be- semi-big event in the story, and change some stuff around. And thank you to Karen for giving me the idea of the last name Scollins (which I find amusing) and putting up with all of my dumb questions.  
  
Chapter 10  
  
Everything had happened so suddenly. One minute Lucy was leaving the hospital to go home, and the next she was feeling pains in her belly and was set up in a hospital room. The nurse had told her that everything looked fine, and the doctor would be in to check on her soon. That had been an hour ago. Simon, Ruthie, the twins, and her father were in the waiting room, and her mother was waiting for the doctor with her.  
  
She wished Kevin was here beside her, to help her through this. The empty feeling in her heart only added to the labor pains.  
  
"Hi, I'm Dr. Scollins," said a voice. Lucy looked up and found that she hadn't noticed the doctor coming in.  
  
"Lucy Kinkirk," she said.  
  
"I'm her mother, Annie Camden," said Annie. The doctor nodded and began to examine a clipboard that was by the bed. A minute later a nurse came to the door.  
  
"Frank, we need you in room 212," she said.  
  
"I'll be there in a sec," said Dr. Scollins as he put the clipboard down and glanced at the machine that measured the contractions. "Everything seems okay for now," he said to Lucy and Annie. "I'll be back in a little while to examine you a little more."  
  
"Okay," said Lucy as he left.  
  
****************  
  
Simon was sick of the hospital. Sick of watching his father pace around the room, sick of the clean yet disgusting smell, sick of waiting. He needed to get out for a while, take a walk. But as soon as he got up, hunger overtook his desire to get out of the hospital.  
  
"I'm going to get some food at the cafeteria, you want something?" he asked Ruthie.  
  
"Hospital food? I'm not that hungry," she responded.  
  
"I want to come!" exclaimed David.  
  
"I want to come too!" said Sam.  
  
"Okay," said Simon. "Dad, you want something?"  
  
"No thanks, Simon." With that, Simon took the twins' hands, one on each side of him and headed off towards the cafeteria.  
  
"When are we gonna leave?" asked Sam.  
  
"We'll leave after Lucy has her baby," said Simon.  
  
"When's that gonna be?" asked David. Simon smiled. As annoying as the twins could be, they were cute and he couldn't help but to love them.  
  
"I don't know, hopefully soon, I'm sick of this place too."  
  
"Excuse me," said a nurse who had just passed them, "are you family of Kevin Kinkirk?" Simon turned around and nodded, unsure of what to expect. "I recognized you," continued the nurse. "We tried to call your house, but no one was home. Mr. Kinkirk got out of the coma a while ago, and he's asking to see his family." Simon smiled in bewilderment.  
  
"Wow," he said under his breath. "Great timing, Kevin." 


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Again, (How many times have I said this? Three, I think.) I am not a doctor, and you shouldn't believe anything I say medically in here without doing thorough research of your own. However, (yay for me!) I did do a little bit (and I don't mean a lot) of research on the subject at webmd.com. This is the last chapter, but there will be an epilogue after this. It is going to be short, so I should have it up by Saturday.  
  
Chapter 11  
  
"God, that hurts. Why did you choose to go through with this six times?" asked Lucy after another painful contraction.  
  
"Because, afterwards, having children was the most joyful experience of my life," answered Annie simply.  
  
"But I don't know if I can do this, Mom," said Lucy. "Without him, I mean."  
  
"You won't have to," said Simon, who had just appeared in the doorway. "Kevin's awake." Lucy could feel the joy and relief that rushed into her heart, as if suddenly her blood grew warmer after being frozen for a lifetime. A huge grin appeared on her face, and she found herself unable to say anything.  
  
"I'll bring him here in a minute," continued Simon. "I wanted to tell you first, or else you would have thought you were hallucinating or something." Lucy nodded as Simon left, the grin still plastered on her face.  
  
"Wow. I've never seen a woman in labor look so happy," said Dr. Scollins, who had just walked in as Simon left. He didn't wait for a response. "So how's it going?"  
  
"About the same," said Lucy.  
  
"On a scale of one to ten, how painful are the contractions?"  
  
"A million. No, make that two million." Dr. Scollins nodded as if this was not an unusual response - and perhaps it wasn't - and wrote something down. Then he placed his hand on her belly while staring at the moniter.  
  
"How intent are you on having a normal vaginal delivery?" he asked as he fixed his attention back to the clipboard. Lucy and Annie looked at each other, and then back to Dr. Scollins.  
  
"What do you mean?" asked Lucy in a scared voice.  
  
"I mean that, as a precaution, I think you should have a C-section."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because you're early, and since it hasn't been a great day for me, I don't really feel like taking any risks. I wouldn't worry, though. Everything looks fine; the only reason I'm recommending a C-section is because you're so early."  
  
"Okay," said Lucy, unsure of what to think. Dr. Scollins nodded.  
  
"I assume you want to do it sooner than later."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"All right, in an hour or so, we'll take you to an operating room and we'll do it there."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Don't worry," he said as he walked out of the room.  
  
*******  
  
"Where's Lucy?" was the first thing Kevin said when Simon walked into the Kevin's room.  
  
"Well, hello to you too," laughed Simon. He was feeling especially cheery after seeing his sister's face light up and smile, and his hunger had abated.  
  
"Well, um, I don't know how to say this, so I'll just be blunt. Lucy's pregnant." Kevin stared at Simon seriously.  
  
"Did I know that?" he asked.  
  
"That she was pregnant? No, I don't think so."  
  
"I.. I feel like I should be shocked, but I'm not. It's like I knew that without anyone telling me. At least I don't remember anyone telling me."  
  
"What if I said she was in labor right now?" Kevin's jaw dropped.  
  
"You're kidding."  
  
"No, I'm not."  
  
"Where is she?"  
  
"Room 248." Kevin jumped out of bed, and ran like Simon had never seen him run before, toward Lucy's room.  
  
"Kevin!" screamed Lucy as Kevin appeared in the doorway.  
  
"Lucy," said Kevin as he rushed over to the bedside and kissed her.  
  
"I love you."  
  
"I love you, too."  
  
"It's great to see you, Kevin," said Annie.  
  
"Thanks," responded Kevin as he and Annie hugged.  
  
"I'll leave you two alone," said Annie. She walked out of the room, and Kevin took her seat at Lucy's bedside.  
  
"I've missed a lot, haven't I?" said Kevin, placing his hand on her belly.  
  
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before," apologized Lucy.  
  
"It's okay. And I'm sorry too."  
  
"For what?"  
  
"That I wasn't here for you." Lucy smiled and rubbed his hand.  
  
"It's okay. You're here now. I'm having a C-section in a little while."  
  
"Why?" asked Kevin, concerned.  
  
"I'm not really sure. The doctor just recommended it because I'm so early." Kevin nodded. He wasn't sure what to feel about this; he'd never done this before.  
  
"Do you know what we're having?" Lucy shook her head. "Have you thought about names, then?"  
  
"Yeah, but I wanted to wait for you to make a final decision. But I like William or Andrew for a boy, and Michelle or Jessica for a girl. Or maybe Megan."  
  
"Andrew. I like that more than William. Andrew Kinkirk."  
  
"Andrew it is. What if it's a girl?"  
  
"I like Jessica myself." Lucy nodded in agreement.  
  
"Can you believe this? We're going to be parents." Kevin shook his head.  
  
"Not really, but I couldn't be happier." Dr. Scollins walked in at that same moment.  
  
"Are you ready, Ms. Kinkirk?" he asked. Lucy looked from him to her husband, who gave her a reassuring smile, and finally back to Dr. Scollins.  
  
"I guess so." And with that, Dr. Scollins and some nurses helped put Lucy on hospital bed on wheels and to another room, Kevin by her side the entire way. In the operating room, they put up a curtain across Lucy's body and numbed her lower half.  
  
"See that curtain?" a nurse asked Kevin.  
  
"Yes," he said.  
  
"Don't look on the other side." Kevin nodded to show he understood and knelt down to Lucy's level.  
  
"How're you doing?" he asked her.  
  
"I don't know," she responded. "I feel like this is all a dream. In just a few moments we're going to be parents. We're going to have a baby. A son or daughter, to love, to raise." Kevin smiled and nodded.  
  
"I guess we'll have to move out of the garage apartment, huh?"  
  
"Yeah." Just then Kevin thought he heard Dr. Scollins say something like, "Oh crud," but he wasn't sure. Lucy didn't seem to have heard anything.  
  
"Luce?" Her eyes were closed. "Lucy?"  
  
She was unconscious.  
  
"Lucy!" Kevin almost yelled. Fear swept over him.  
  
"Sir, you're going to have to leave," said a nurse as she tried to push him out of the room, but Kevin pushed back.  
  
"No! What's happening?"  
  
"She has too much internal bleeding. With your cooperation, we can stop it and deliver your child," explained the nurse quickly. Reluctantly, Kevin let himself be pushed out of the room. He sat down on the floor beside the door, and no one in the hallway questioned him. He prayed continuously for the forty-five minutes - although it felt like an eternity - he sat there, until he saw Dr. Scollins walk out the door.  
  
"Where would that guy be?" he muttered under his breath.  
  
"Here," cried out Kevin hoarsely.  
  
"Oh," said Dr. Scollins, turning around. "You have a beautiful daughter, she's in the nursery now. She's small, only five and a half pounds, but she's healthy." Kevin smiled and tears of joy came to his eyes. He had a daughter. Jessica.  
  
"How's Lucy? Can I see her?" Dr. Scollins frowned, and Kevin thought he might faint.  
  
"We couldn't stop the bleeding. I'm sorry. Your wife is dead." 


	12. Epilogue

A/N: Since this is the end, I'd like to thank every one of my reviewers. I'm overjoyed and overwhelmed about the amount of reviews I got. Thanks!  
  
Epilogue  
  
Kevin ran his hand across his wife's headstone and sighed. A year had passed. Twelve long, painful months. He would never see her, hold her, or kiss her lips again. Kevin almost felt a yearning to go down there and rescue her, like in a fairy tale. He let out another deep sigh. Lucy would have loved that, to be Snow White and have her prince charming rescue her. But Kevin knew that would never happen. Lucy was dead.  
  
Kevin looked down at his daughter, sleeping in his right arm. She was a year old today. Everyone said she had her Lucy's blonde hair and nose, and Kevin's brown eyes. Her birthday had the unfortunate burden of being the same day as her mother's death. It didn't help that she would never know her mother, and they would never be a family. He and Jessica could be a family, but Lucy would never be a part of it, not really.  
  
"I wish you could have known her," said Kevin quietly to Jessica. "Your mother was amazing." He ran his left hand across the gravestone one last time before he turned to leave, tracing the engravement of her name with his fingers.  
  
"We'll always love you, Luce." 


End file.
